Why I Love 5th and 6th Graders

I just had a 6th grader come in at the end of first period to pet Berkeley. There were 5 minutes left in the class period. He said, "I set myself a goal to finish all of my homework in time so I could come and pet Berkeley."

He was the only one to do so. Sixth graders are focused. They can also be very serious about what they love. Take the daughter of one of our faculty members. She doesn't have a dog at home, so she considers Berkeley her dog. She really does. She came to see Berkeley the other morning and got to have to have Berkeley all to herself. I told her she was in charge because I had to help a high school student. You would have thought I had given her a pound of chocolate. When she left about five minutes later I got the tightest hug I think I have ever gotten.

Fifth graders, on the other hand, are cheeky. Where PreK through 4th take the rules so seriously, fifth graders have a sense of humor about them. When I run into them, they glance down at Berkeley and then quickly back up to me. They always have a gleam in their eyes that says, "I know she's supposed to be invisible, but I see her. I'll just pretend." It's the big smile that gives them away. I always smile back.